Horatio Nelson

(1758-1805), Vice-Admiral and victor of Trafalgar

Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson

Sitter in 85 portraitsNelson's victories during the wars with France gripped the popular imagination, making him the most enduring of British heroes. In 1793, following the outbreak of war with France, he lost an eye in a successful attack on Corsica. Nelson's strategic brilliance was confirmed at the Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797) and the Battle of the Nile (1798). This was followed by the great controversy of Nelson's career when, because of his passion for Emma Hamilton, he refused to leave Naples to defend Minorca. Nelson's last engagement was his greatest victory; he was killed by a sniper while defeating the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Watch a film clip on the sitter from the BBC Archive in the Media section below

Media

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